Category Archives: Books

Anyone making his or her living in a creative field including VO, especially those who might be lacking in business or marketing skills, would be wise to read Al Ries and Jack Trout’s groundbreaking books The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (Violate Them at Your Own Risk!)and Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. I would make a strong argument that they would also be well-served by viewing the cinematic masterpiece Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby. Since I’m pretty sure they’re being mentioned in the same breath for the very first time, you’re probably wondering what they have in common.

Both of Ries and Trout’s books revolve around a common theme, one familiar with folks who have populated the P2P sites over the years. As it applies to voice talent, you could have golden tones and deliver the perfect read every time, but if you’re the 100th audition out of 114, chances are that audition will never be heard. That has changed somewhat with several of the major sites recently, but the fact remains being first, or among the first, greatly enhances your chances of landing the gig. Ricky Bobby’s father, Reese, reinforces the importance of being first in a poignant scene early in Talladega Nights…………..

ACX has been a hot topic in the VO world recently. There seems to be more work available than folks available to narrate, but promptness in getting auditions to the ears of the rights holders still appears to be a huge advantage in landing the gig. This is where being first has benefitted me tremendously over the past few weeks. I’ve signed on to do 4 audiobooks over the course of about 2 weeks. In at least 3 of those cases, the offer came within 24 hours of the title being posted and, subsequently, my audition being received. I also had at least 2 rights holders/authors tell me my audition was the first one they received. They had others behind me and they listened to several, but clearly there is sufficient non-scientific evidence that tells you being first, or among the first, on ACX auditions can provide a nice income stream.

Your mileage may vary, and on the flip side, there are many titles for which I’ve sent auditions months ago that never followed up on actually choosing a narrator. You’ll get a definite advantage there, however, if you check it about once or twice a day and send auditions promptly, there’s a steady stream of work in it for you.

As many of us….present blog writer included….work to successfully segue from radio to full-time, self sustaining voiceover talent, it’s good to have a point of reference, particularly on a day when it seems like we’re treading water.

Joe Cipriano has far exceeded his wildest dreams to have a place near the top of the A-list in our business, and now he chronicles his journey in “Living On Air” (available HERE). Some of us fell into radio by accident, and others are bitten by the bug at a very young age and never lose the passion. Joe is squarely in the latter category, and with the combination of talent, determination, hard work, and luck in various quantities, he became a major market on-air talent at 20. From Waterbury, Connecticut to Washington, DC to Los Angeles, he relives his journey and introduces you to characters we’ve all worked with or known at some point in our career.

“Living On Air” is the story of a guy having the time of his life, and many reading this blog will resemble his remarks when they read the book. Your career mileage will vary, and most likely has if you weren’t in a major market at 20. And while I wouldn’t recommend the path he took from point A to point B, it has worked out nicely for him and will be very relatable to those of us who fell in love with radio and would have done, and still do, anything to follow our dream as it has taken us from an on-air studio to a recording booth.

“Living On Air” reminds us that even on the worst days and most dire of circumstances, i.e. the dreaded “different direction”, format change, or misguided station management, what we do on the air or in the booth still beats working any day of the week…..and twice on Sundays.